The United States banned the export of smartphones worth more than $300 and other electrical goods to Russia and Belarus. Apple technology, among other things, is subject to this restriction. Details about whether the export ban could result in the blocking of iPhones and other “apple” devices in the Russian Federation were found out by Izvestia.
Export ban
About ban for export to Russia and Belarus of smartphones more expensive than $300 (about 22.5 thousand rubles at the exchange rate on March 1) became known on February 25. This is stated in the document of the Bureau of Industry and Security of the US Department of Commerce. In addition to smartphones, restrictions apply to another 25 products.
In particular, the United States decided to ban deliveries to Russia of refrigerators, air conditioners and fans of all types worth more than $750 (about 56 thousand rubles), printers, home microwaves, coffee machines and electric toasters worth more than $300, as well as vacuum cleaners with built-in motors worth more than $100 (7 .5 thousand rubles). At the same time, the supply of sound equipment for recording and playback was completely banned.
The US Department of Commerce introduced all these restrictions on February 27, not only in relation to Russia, but also to Belarus. To supply goods to these countries, exporters will need a special license, which the US authorities are going to grant only in exceptional cases.
The new ban directly applies to Apple products that are popular with Russians. iPhone smartphones from this manufacturer cost significantly more than $300: for example, the cheapest iPhone of the latest, 14th model, today will cost more than 70 thousand rubles (more than $900). In this regard, experts increasingly began to wonder whether Apple could try to remotely block its equipment in Russia – after all, formally, any “apple” smartphone that ended up in the country after February 27 could be recognized as illegal by US officials.
Shutdown risk
Today, there is a risk of disconnecting Apple devices in Russia, admits Sergei Gataullin, dean of the Faculty of Digital Economy and Mass Communications at the Moscow Technical University of Communications and Informatics. Moreover, in 2022, users of “apple” products have already encountered difficulties in using various kinds of applications on their devices that could be solved locally using corporate certificates.
“Technically, blocking Apple devices is quite possible: iPhone smartphones have a special security chip,” says Kirill Sitnov, an expert on computer hardware and gadgets, a teacher at the Moscow School of Programmers. – And although there are no recorded cases of blocking Apple devices in individual countries, this possibility cannot be ruled out.
The specialist explains that it is possible to determine in which country the device is located by the IP address, as well as GPS and mobile operator data. At the same time, other companies have already encountered cases of remote blocking of devices. According to Sitnov, earlier Samsung blocked its TVs that were illegally imported into Russia through Turkey. The reason for this was prosaic – in Turkey, these models cost 1.5-2 times cheaper than in Russia, and the manufacturer simply lost money.
Despite the fact that in theory Apple can block its devices on Russian territory, in practice it will not be easy to implement this solution, believes Sergey Polunin, head of the infrastructure IT solutions protection group at Gazinformservice.
“For example, there is a real risk of “hooking” legitimate users with such blocking or, on the contrary, missing important goals,” the expert explains.
step under pressure
Blocking devices in a particular country is in itself a strong blow to the company’s reputation, says Kirill Sitnov. In addition, now Apple receives a large share of the profits not for the sale of the gadgets themselves, but for the use of various paid subscription services – this follows from the company’s reporting.
“You have to understand that blocking devices is a rejection of constant and stable income,” the Izvestia interlocutor believes. – If the company takes such a step, then the main reason for this may be only the pressure of the state.
According to Sergei Polunin, today it is not completely clear whether Apple will impose its own sanctions against Russia. Moreover, a formal ban on deliveries to the Russian Federation already exists, and the service maintenance of “apple” devices in the country is seriously hampered. But what to do if their blocking still happens?
“If a mass blocking of Apple devices really begins, you will first have to understand exactly how it is organized,” says Sergei Polunin. – If this blocking turns out to be reversible, for example, by flashing the device, then the market will certainly be inundated with such proposals.
In turn, Kirill Sitnov gives the example of Samsung smartphones: when the gadget was first turned on, the mobile operator’s SIM card was checked to determine the activation region. And if the region for some reason did not fit, the device simply did not activate further. Therefore, there was a practice of selling gray Samsung phones with pre-installed SIM cards from “suitable” regions for activation.
“It is possible that in the event of blocking Apple technology, they will have to resort to a similar algorithm,” the expert says. – It is also worth understanding that the smartphone can also check the Apple ID. Therefore, most likely, you will have to create a new account in another country.
According to Sergei Gataullin, unlocking technology should be understood as a wide range of actions, up to installing alternative operating systems on it. But with this approach, the meaning of owning a gadget of a particular manufacturer is lost.
Betting on China
Experts interviewed by Izvestia advise Apple equipment owners not to rush to part with their devices, but to take certain measures in such an emergency. You don’t have to worry about the data of popular applications – they will be stored in the services themselves. But personal content should be dealt with separately.
“Photos and videos from the Apple cloud can be saved somewhere else or synchronized with another cloud,” advises Sergei Polunin. – And the phone book can be downloaded in a readable format. In general, it’s worth backing up everything you’re afraid of losing.
If the user has not yet decided on the choice of a smartphone, then Kirill Sitnov recommends first of all to pay attention to devices from China. In economic terms, this country is now on the same side with Russia, so blocking Chinese technology is not expected. In turn, Sergey Gataullin believes that the only real guarantee of protection against blocking is the development of Russian digital solutions.
– In order to fully protect yourself from blocking gadgets at the state and business level, it is necessary, firstly, to develop a domestic mobile operating system. And secondly, you need to introduce it into mass Russian production or pre-install this system on gadgets from foreign manufacturers. Then we will be safe,” the expert concluded.
